Sensei?

[yamaguchi]

I have been called sensei since I teach kids. Sensei=teacher. Well I teach, so kind make sense.

But there are 7Dan and 8Dan sensei. I call them sensei. My sensei was 7Dan when I met. But I do not call him Sensei. I call him Shisho.

Of couse I am not Shisho. That's too much. But now how do I call 7Dan, and 8Dan kendo-ka. Or even 1 Dan, 2 Dan, and so on. I always thought that who-ever teach me good things is Sensei.

When I was learning Clasic Japanese, I found that Sensei is not that hard core meaning. In China( I believe south China), Sensei is just Sir, Mr. and so on.
シーサン 1 【先生】
〔中国語。上海地方の訛りから〕中国で、男子一般の名につけた敬称。呼び掛けにも用いた
Even Japanese dictionary said following in Japanese.
せんせい 3 【先生】


〔(5)が原義〕


(1)学問・技芸などを教える人。また、自分が教えを受けている人。師。師匠。また、特に、学校の教 員。
「お花の―」「書道の―」


(2)学芸に長じた人。
「駿台―（＝室鳩巣）」


(3)師匠・教師・医師・弁護士・国会議員などを敬って呼ぶ語。代名詞的にも用いる。また、人名のあとに付 けて敬称としても用いる。
「―、いろいろお世話になりました」「中村―」


(4)親しみやからかいの気持ちを込めて、他人をさす語。「大将」「やっこさん」に似た意で用いる。
「―ご執心のようだな」
(5)自分より先に生まれた人。年長者。
(1) said teacher at school, or the person who teach you.
(2) the person who is good at art and science.
You will be surprise to hear this if you are in USA.
(3) School teacher, Shisho, Medical Dr. Lawyer(Lawyer is sensei too), and Politican.
(4) from you kindness and warm feeling, points just people.
So instead of saying "Mr." you say Sensei if you don't know his person.

This is original meaning.
(5) The person who was born earier than you. So the person who is older than you.

One times I called one kendo sensei.
I said. Fujino sensei!. He said " I am not as old as your sensei. Call me Fujino-kun. There are so many cute girls in here. Be carefull what you say." I said "sorry Fujino-kun."
I felt so funny and he smiled at me. He is my Shisho's Kohai, and he was over 60yr old. But I want to be like him.

So whoever are going to SouthEast kendo taikai, and if you like to talk to me, Please just call me "CJ" Please!

But there are the other things I heard from...
If you teach Kendo, no matter how many Dan you have, and you love your students, let them call "Sensei." If your dojo do not have Sensei, you should close down you Dojo. Because there are no teachers. This is also make sense to me. So....

But I go for "CJ." Because I am still 36yr old and Single. My priority comes first.! So i am just CJ....
Yamaguchi:wink:

[yamaguchi]

There are a lot of miss Sp.
I forgot to run SP check.
Excuse my poor English.
yamaguchi.

[nysamurai]

CJ-san,

I would not worry too much about forgetting to spell check. You make yourself understood very well, and your English is just fine. I dare say that YOUR English is a whole lot better than most of OUR Japanese!

[Musha]

Oh of your sensei wanted you to call him Fujino-kun?? :D. I can't explain in English but that always makes me laugh. A new Japanese teacher came to my college and called me Erik-kun :D, then started calling my Eric-san later, so boring. Anyway Kun as I see it is what you would call a Japanese guy younger than you or much younger, it's like the English master (Second name) :).

Thanks Yamaguchi-kun ありがとう山口君？かＣＪ...それちょっと変だなー。　ある日本人が謙遜すぎだと思います。 　I wish every post could be like this :).

[Neil Gendzwill]

We've never been big on forcing the term in our dojo. Most of the people call my sensei by his first name, but I will always refer to him as sensei in the dojo. I ask people to call me Neil but I'm OK with sensei if they insist. I guess like most junior instructors I'm not comfortable with being called sensei. Maybe it's a little like being called Mr. Gendzwill - that's my dad, not me.

[yamaguchi]

Imagine the old Sensei make me(high school Kids at that time) call him Fujino-kun, because of Cute girls.
I found that a lot of good Sensei is funny in Kendo.

Thank you all
Yamaguchi.

[Charlie]

In an American sports context a lot of the people involved in teaching and running things are called "coach." I wonder if this has a Japanese equivalent? I, too, have become more relaxed on the sensei thing. If someone calls me sensei, I say, "Oh, please, just call me Charlie." If they do it again, I just let it go.

"Coach." Is it too American? We'd probably start calling people "coach-sensei."

[Shazzanzzz]

I get called sensei all over when i was in taiwan.... since sensei (shien shen) is used as Mr. in chinese. It does literally means born before, but, they just use it for Mr. these days.

I wasn't used to it at all though, one time someone asked for 曾先生 on the phone, and i told them immediately my dad wasn't home. Turned out he was asking for me... No one calls me Mr. here in the US anyways, since i'm only 21.

They do use the word 'coach' in chinese, in kendo too, dont know about japanese, maybe they use the same words. You call the senseis either 老師 (teacher) or 教練 (coach), depending on the dojo preference.

[yamaguchi]

In Baseball, basketball, and so on, we use word "coach" in Japan, but it is not bad idea, I think my high school and College sensei was more like Coach.
yamaguchi.

[Charlie]

What's the word, CJ-san? "Coach" just like in English, or a Japanese word?

[Haowen]

In an American sports context a lot of the people involved in teaching and running things are called "coach." I wonder if this has a Japanese equivalent? I, too, have become more relaxed on the sensei thing. If someone calls me sensei, I say, "Oh, please, just call me Charlie." If they do it again, I just let it go.

"Coach." Is it too American? We'd probably start calling people "coach-sensei."

Many wonderful people here are being all humble and such with "don't call me sensei". I understand that, but as a useless nobody in kendo I like to say "sensei" to express my gratitude for the instruction.

I would never call my sensei "coach". To me, a coach is someone who teaches you a skill, like a writing coach, a voice coach, a drama coach, or a baseball coach.

None of those things are budo. They could be if you really focused on them but traditionally, they are usually not considered a form of self-refinement. The context is totally different. If I had a coach who really helped me become a better person, I think "sensei" would be a better word for them too :) But "coach" is not the right word for sensei. I feel there is not enough respect and gratitude in the word, it doesn't do what I want to express.

A sensei who points me the right way in budo has done me a favour far more than someone who taught me how to swing a bat. I'm not sure how to express it, but there is an element of self-sacrifice I see in sensei, helping your students along the Way through the generosity of your heart.

Here's a big thank you to all the Internet sensei out there :) Yes that includes you, Charlie-sensei :)

[yamaguchi]

yes Charlie san.

Coach is Coach in Japanes. コーチ same pronunciation with Japanese acsent.

Wow, what a spelling. Pronunciation.
yamaguchi

[Neil Gendzwill]

I would never call my sensei "coach".
I think "coach" applies where it's more sports. For example, the Canadian national team (and the US team too I think) have a coach. That coach is of course also a sensei. But the function he is doing is preparing a team for competition, which is a bit different from the broader role of sensei.

[KendoShiai]

CJ... get out of this room and get to Kendo ;) Midnight Kendo is waiting for us guy. hahahah


Eddie Miller
www.orlandokendo.com

[Charlie]

*blushes*

I see what you guys mean about the coach/sensei thing. Thing is, in America at least, I think sometimes a sports coach is like a Japanese sensei in that they are doing more than just making you shag fly balls, they approach "the way" of baseball or football or whatever. But you're probably right if you suggest that a coach like this is rare, which is not to put down coaches at all. Coaches are wonderful. It's just that the context is not the same.

[enkorat]

In our university club, our sensei is technically our "coach" on the paperwork on file with the university.

We're registered as a student organization, and outside instructors for a atheletic student organization are considered "coaches" by the university. Since this seemed the easiest way of explaining such things to very busy University staff, and there were a few (not many) perks for "coaches", it seemed like the best way to go.

Its sort of similar when I say that kendo is "Japanese fencing" during things like recruitment fairs and festivals. Of course that's really a gross oversimplification bordering on misrepresentation. But if the person goes "oh okay" and heads off to the next table for the co-ed engineering fraternity, its like I've given him enough information so that he can politely go away. If the person says "wait, that's not really true", then I start recruiting....

Similarly, I tread lightly around the university staff that's in charge of the facility we practice in. I say "he's our coach" and they go "oh, okay I understand" and they're happy. No long discussions, no more work for them. Of course "coach" isn't the same as "sensei", but for explaining things to the staff who aren't in kendo, its close enough. ;)